How to Update Xiaomi 360° Camera Firmware: Official and Alternative Ways

Xiaomi Mi Home 360° cameras (including Mi Home Security Camera 360° 1080p and Mi Home Camera 360° 2K) regularly receive firmware updates that fix vulnerabilities, add new features and improve stability. However, the update process does not always go smoothly: users face connection errors, "hang" camera or even a complete failure after a failed firmware. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of updating – from automatic through the Mi Home application to manual via microSD or ADB, and also explain how to avoid typical problems.

It’s important to understand that the firmware for Xiaomi 360° is divided into two parts: the main software (firmware) and AI modules (for example, for facial or sound recognition), they are updated independently, and sometimes you need to install each component separately. If your camera starts to slow down, lose connection or give a “Device offline” error, the first thing to do is to check the firmware version and update it if necessary.

1. How to check the current firmware version

Before you start the update, make sure it is really necessary.

1. Open the Mi Home app (or Xiaomi Home for newer versions).
2. Select your 360° camera from the device list.
3. Go to Settings → About the device → The firmware version.
4. Compare the current version with the latest official version on Xiaomi Home.

Up-to-date firmware versions for popular models (June 2026):

If your version is older than 2-3 revisions, it is recommended to update. For example, for the Mi Home Security Camera 360° 1080p version 3.5.6 is already considered outdated and may contain vulnerabilities.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware for Chinese versions of cameras (CN) Check your device's region in the Mi Home app settings (Region section). Installing inappropriate firmware can lead to loss of functionality or "bricking" of the camera.

2. Automatic update via the Mi Home app

The easiest and safest way to update your firmware is through an official app, which is suitable for most users and does not require technical skills.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your camera to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network (update over 5GHz is not supported!).
2. Open Mi Home, select your camera and go to Settings → About device → Firmware update.
3. If a new version is available, click "Update." It takes 5-15 minutes.
4. Do not turn off the camera power or close the app until the installation is complete.

During the update, the indicator on the camera will flash yellow (boot) and blue (installation).

Battery charge (if any) > 50%|Camera connected to socket|Stable connection to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi|Other applications using the network are closed|Backup copy of settings (optional)-->

If the Update button is inactive or missing, try:

• 🔄 Reboot the camera (turn off power for 30 seconds).
• 📱 Reinstall the Mi Home app.
• 🌍 Change region in the app settings to China Mainland (sometimes updates appear there earlier).

Only critical bugs | Every new release | Every six months | Never updated |I don't know the current version-->

3. Manual update via microSD card

If the automatic update doesn’t work (for example, due to slow internet or regional restrictions), you can install firmware manually via microSD.

You'll need:

• 📁 MicroSD card (up to 32 GB, formatted in the form of a microSD card) FAT32).
• 💻 Computer for downloading firmware.
• 🔌 USB-MicroUSB cable (for some models).

Instructions:

1. Download the firmware for your model from the official Xiaomi Home website or a trusted source (such as XDA Developers).
2. Rename the file to miio_firmware.bin (crucial!)
3. Copy it into the root of the microSD card.
4. Insert the card into the camera (the slot is usually on the side or bottom).
5. Connect the camera to power. The update will start automatically (the indicator will flash red).

It takes up to 20 minutes. If the light goes out or goes green, the update is successful. If it flashes orange for more than 30 minutes, an error occurs (see section 5).

Update via ADB (for advanced users)

The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) method is suitable for power users who want to install custom firmware or roll back on the previous version, a method that is risky and can lead to a loss of warranty.

What you'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux and established ADB.
• 🔌 USB-Type-C Cable (or MicroUSB for older models).
• 📄 Firmware in.img or.zip format.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the camera Developer Mode: 1. Open Mi Home → Camera Settings → About the device. 2. Press 5 times on "Firmware Version" until the message "Developer Mode is enabled" appears.
2. Connect the camera to the PC via USB and execute the commands: adb devices adb shell su dd if=/sdcard/miio_firmware.bin of=/dev/block/mtdblock3 (substitute miio_firmware.bin in the name of your file).
3. Reboot the camera with the reboot command.

If the camera doesn’t turn on after the reboot, try to restore it via fastboot (see instructions for specific models on XDA).

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Xiaomi may have Mi Account blocked for breach of terms of use for camera firmware, the company is actively fighting unofficial firmware, especially on cloud-based devices.

5. Typical errors and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users often face problems.

If the camera has stopped responding to a reset, try the hardware recovery method:

1. Shut down the power.
2. Press the Reset button and, without letting go, connect the camera to the network.
3. Hold the button for 15-20 seconds until the indicator flashes blue and red.
4. Release the button and the camera will go into recovery mode.

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If the sound or image is gone after the update, check the privacy settings in the Mi Home app. Sometimes new firmware resets permissions to access the microphone or camera.

6. How to roll back firmware to the previous version

If the new firmware caused problems (e.g., the camera turned off more often or video quality deteriorated), you can return the old version.

Ways of rollback:

• 🔄 Using microSD: Download old firmware and repeat the process from Section 3.
• 🖥️ Through ADB: Use the command: adb shell echo"old_firmware.bin" > /tmp/firmware_update (root).

For cameras with a Mi Account binding (such as the Mi Home Camera 360° 2K), rollbacks can block access to cloud features, in which case you will have to reset the camera to factory settings and re-associate it to the account.

⚠️ Attention: Firmware rollback on the model with a chip Hi3518E (For example, the Mi Home Camera 360.° 1080p Early revisions may result in loss of support for modern codecs (e.g, H.265). Before Downgrade, check compatibility on forums.

7. Alternative firmware: pros and risks

Some enthusiasts install on the Xiaomi 360 cameras° custom firmware, such as OpenIPC or RTSP-firmware to get:

• 🎥 Support for the protocol RTSP (streaming video without a cloud).
• 🔒 Removing Xiaomi restrictions (e.g., writing to the NAS).
• 🛠️ Advanced video quality settings.

But there are also serious risks:

• ❌ Loss of guarantee.
• ❌ Blocking of Mi Account for Violation of License Agreement.
• ❌ Unstable work (for example, Wi-Fi dump or overheating).

If you decide to experiment, follow the instructions from trusted sources, such as:

• 🔗 OpenIPC Wiki (open source project) IP-camera).
• 🔗 GitHub repository mi-home-hack (tools for hacking Xiaomi cameras).

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Custom firmware installation disables airborne updates and can make the camera vulnerable to attack, and only use such firmware if you critically need functionality that is not in official software.

FAQ: Frequent questions about firmware updates